Renuka Amarasingha

On the day of the attack she had just completed her first day of work at Earl Haig Secondary School, located near the crime scene, the board said.

John Molloy, director of education, said Amarasingha was a former TDSB adult student who had worked as a nutrition services staff member at a number of schools since 2015. She was also a single mother to a young son, for whom the board says the community has launched a fundraising account.

"It is with heavy hearts that we are learning of the death of a TDSB staff member whose life was tragically cut short," wrote Molloy in a statement.

Renuka Amarasingha was a single mother who worked for the Toronto District School Board. (Rangika Karunathilake)

Rangika Karunathilake, a friend of Amarasingha, said Wednesday that she is trying to come to terms with her death.

"She is like a sister to me. I have known her almost 13 years. The last two years she was very close to me," Karunathilake told CBC Toronto.

"This is an unthinkable tragedy. She didn't deserve to die. She didn't deserve to die. How come these things can happen? They shouldn't die on the street. Like animals. I don't even know if animals are dying like this."

Rangka was friends with van attack victim Renuka Amarasingha 0:41

Ahangama Rathanasiri of the Toronto Maha Vihara Buddhist Meditation Centre described Amarasingha as "kind" and "helpful to society."

Rathanasiri said Amarasingha's friends first became alarmed when she did not return home on Monday afternoon to look after her son as usual.

"Normally she goes to the school to pick the child. At that time on that day she didn't go to the school, so we knew definitely that she died."

Sohe Chung

Chung, 22, was a student at the University of Toronto, pursuing a bachelor of science in cellular and molecular biology, according to her LinkedIn profile.

"We are deeply saddened that a member of our community has died as a result of this terrible incident," said U of T president Meric Gertler in a statement.

Chung also worked in sales at the luxury retailer Holt Renfrew.

Sohe Chung was a student at the University of Toronto and also worked in sales at Holt Renfrew. (LinkedIn)

Anne Marie D'Amico

D'Amico was the first victim to be identified, one day after Monday's attack.

She worked at the U.S.-based investment management firm Invesco. Its headquarters are close to the stretch of Yonge Street where the attack took place.

Anne Marie D'Amico worked for an investment management firm in Toronto. (Facebook)

D'Amico has been described by a co-worker as "full of life, loved to travel, loved to help volunteer."

Her family also released a statement saying she had a "a generous heart" and "always did big things for people."

Betty Forsyth

Betty Forsyth, 94, was described by her longtime neighbour Mary Hunt, 84, as a lively person who loved to feed the birds and squirrels on her regular walks through the neighbourhood.

Hunt said a relative of Forsyth called to break the news that her neighbour was among those killed when the van mounted the sidewalk and drove into pedestrians.

Chul Min (Eddie) Kang

Kang was an employee at the Copacabana restaurant in Toronto.

Kevin Panlilio was a distant friend of Kang, who he said had a wife in Korea. Three weeks before the attack, Panlilio said, Kang, always eager to hang out, sent him a text message asking if he wanted to meet. Panlilio was busy preparing for a trip to Manila and didn't have time to respond.

Chul Min (Eddie) Kang worked as a chef at the Copacabana restaurant in Toronto. (Facebook)

With Kang gone, his friend is now filled with regret.

"I'm sad more I missed out on Eddie because of what our friendship could have been if I responded to his texts, to his phone calls, if I actually took the time to be friends with him as he would have wanted," Panlilio said.

"That regret sucks. That feeling of wanting to do something but you didn't and now you wish you had done it," he said.

Panlilio hopes people will learn from the tragedy to tell their loved ones they love them "right now when they have the chance."

Eddie Cho said he has the same feeling of regret for losing touch with Kang. They were friends in the 1990s when they both attended Mohawk College in Hamilton.

Cho described Kang as caring, hard-working and dedicated to family.

"He was just a great person to hang out with and a great person to be with," said Cho. "There was a tremendous amount of shock when I found out that he was one of the victims of the incident."

The last time Cho saw Kang was when they bumped into each other outside Copacabana a couple of years ago. They exchanged pleasantries and made plans to meet up for drinks or dinner, but never did.

"That is one of the biggest regrets going through my mind right now," said Cho. "I should've met up to catch up, and now I can't."

Munir Najjar

Najjar was a Jordanian citizen visiting Toronto to see his son.

Harry Malawi, a family friend and president of the Jordanian Canadian Society, said Najjar was with his wife when he was killed.

Munir Najjar, a Jordanian citizen, was in Toronto visiting his son when he died. (May Tartoussy)

He had only been in the country for a couple of weeks when the van attack took place, Malawi said. The family is in the midst of a three-day mourning period, he said.

A statement published by family friend Ahmad Kamleh described Najjar as having an "unparalleled love of life that was infectious to those who knew him or met him."

Kamleh wrote that Najjar, who lived in Iraq, Jerusalem, the U.S. and Jordan over the course of his life, was a "beloved friend to so many" as well as a husband, father, and grandfather.

"His welcoming smile and warm embrace will be remembered by many for a long, long time," wrote Kamleh.

Ji Hun Kim

Kim, 22, was a South Korean international student at Seneca College.

Dorothy Sewell

Sewell was on her way to the bank when she was killed.

The 80-year-old spent years working for Sears and volunteered helping other seniors.

Dorothy Sewell, 80, was an avid sports fan and never missed a Blue Jays game. (Submitted by Elwood Delaney)

Her grandson, Elwood Delaney, said she was the "best grandma you could ask for" and had an endless love for sports, especially the Blue Jays and the Maple Leafs.​